Moving up for Jones, is it worth it?

[thoey]

First, I am not a draftnik, so I am seriously asking this question because I don't know. If Jones turns out to be the guy we (the Rams FO) really want, and we expect him to go around 8th overall, what would it take (besides a willing partner) to get him? Figure he is most likely a top 10 pick and here is the order:

1 Carolina Panthers
2 Denver Broncos
3 Buffalo Bills
4 Cincinnati Bengals
5 Arizona Cardinals
6 Cleveland Browns
7 San Francisco *****
8 Tennessee Titans
9 Dallas Cowboys
10 Washington Redskins

Who could we possibly trade with and what would it take to entice them to do it? Any chance that one of those teams has greater needs that could be filled out at a lower 14th pick?

I am not looking to cripple the Rams future drafts, and I know we have plenty of other needs, but we really need that go to guy to play catch with Sam. And yes, I understand that the draft is a crap shoot. But I trust Spags and Devaney. If they think high enough of him, then I do too.

[thoey]

BTW, the way I see it (according to CBS Sports), I see the top ten teams needs as:

1 Carolina Panthers - D Line, LB, TE, QB
2 Denver Broncos - DEF, TE
3 Buffalo Bills - QB and DEF, Anything but WR
4 Cincinnati Bengals - Team
5 Arizona Cardinals - QB, OT, LB, CB
6 Cleveland Browns - WR, OT, DEF, TEAM
7 San Francisco ***** - C, DT, LB
8 Tennessee Titans - QB, OG, LB
9 Dallas Cowboys - OT, DE, Anything but WR
10 Washington Redskins - Team

[Nick]

Who could we possibly trade with and what would it take to entice them to do it? Any chance that one of those teams has greater needs that could be filled out at a lower 14th pick?

If the Rams have identified Jones as the guy they want, and don't feel he'll be available when they pick @ 14, then they very well could make a move up to get him if it's not too extreme. A first and a third may be enough to get it done, especially if Jones is available at the 9-spot, where Dallas might be looking to move down to get better value on an OT or DE.

[TekeRam]

Interestingly enough... Nick is RIGHT ON for us trading up 4 spots to #10, if we so chose. According to the draft pick value chart, as made popular by Bill Parcells, pick #10 is worth 1300 points. Pick #14 and #78 are worth 1100 and 200 respectively. So, if we felt like using two stones to kill one bird, we could possibly trade up with the Redskins.

Personally I feel this would be a horrible idea, as we'd be using two quality picks to go after a player who does not do anything put push down other possible starters out of their spots, without filling other positions that desperately need new starters.

Remember, would our receiving corps look anywhere as bad if Clayton and Avery were healthy in the last 8 weeks? Meanwhile, what will our defense look like this year with the current talent at OLB and safety? What will it look like next year if Hall and Robbins retire? What will the run game look like without at least one new starting guard?

Trading up? Just say no!

[AvengerRam]

As much as I'd like to have Jones, I'm not a fan of the trade up option.

[RealRam]

Good one Thoey!

Yes, I think it is well worth it, making a move upward between #10 and #7 to snatch JJ. I'd really like to see this WR in our offense, reinforcing the passing game considerably (on paper at this point, of course). What would it cost, I wonder?

[thoey]

Thanks for the responses. I am not sure I am for moving up or not. It is expensive and the draft is still nothing but a legalized crap shoot. But, I still think we need to get a true #1 WR some how.

As to the following comment:

Personally I feel this would be a horrible idea, as we'd be using two quality picks to go after a player who does not do anything put push down other possible starters out of their spots, without filling other positions that desperately need new starters.

Maybe it is just me, but besides Clayton who did a marvelous job building a rapport with Sam in such a short time, and Amendola who is amazing, but can't stretch the field or do it all himself, I don't think we have another WR who should have a job *unless* they earn it in preseason. What I mean by that is that none of the rest have shown me that they can be consistently *good* (not even great) WR's or that they can even stay healthy a year.

I know, Jones could turn out to be another workout warrior / combine star / NFL bust. I just think the WR is our weakest O position and probably the weakest position on the whole team. If Jones is worth a top ten pick And that is our greatest area of need (only the FO knows for sure how they rate it) then I say you make the move to get him and hedge the bet in FA.

Start training camp with 20 WR's. Best 5, 6 or whatever make the team. And it doesn't matter if they were on the roster last year or stocking shelves at a local Hi-Vee.

[GROUND DOG 39]

We are not good enough to use draft picks to obtain one player. Im 99% certain the Rams will think the same way.? We need so many upgrades on defense, OLB sucks. Also some DL talent is hugely needed.

[eric2810]

As long as we keep our 2nd round pick, I say yes it is worth it. Jones could very well be the key ingredient missing in our offense, that will take it to the next level. Down the line we'll forget about giving away a 3rd rounder or whatever the case may be. We can still grab a complentary scat back in the fourth round ( perhaps a Derek Locke ) .

[Ramblin` Ram]

if we had Free Agency before the draft and filled some of our holes then i`d be all for it..we currently have about 5 holes and 3 veterans that are winding down their careers so will need young players to spell them and learn from them before taking over...that`s by my estimation anyway...so as things currently stand i would be against it but could change my mind if we suddenly have Free Agency again. whilst the 3rd round pick has often been a bad round for us in the past..i trust Billy D to get a good player in that round as he has done so far.

[The Optimistic Lamb]

Personally I think the Rams are in the perfect spot to take Jones. But hell, if we gonna trade up lets trade up for AJ Green!!!

[fliptalianstallion]

Personally I think the Rams are in the perfect spot to take Jones. But hell, if we gonna trade up lets trade up for AJ Green!!!

Not worth trading up IMO. Despite the nice resurgence, we still need depth, not one player is going to make all the difference especially if he gets injured in the battlefield. Once we can establish a nice depth roster, then we can talk about trading up for premium picks.

[rNemesis]

It is really NOT worth it because we need more depth than quality IMO at this point. That is also the reason why a new CBA is so important!